The first ever trainer festival to be held in Liverpool opened its doors on Saturday, celebrating the love of sports sneakers for wearers across the city.
The ‘Laces Out’ sneaker fest was held at The Camp and Furnace on Greenland Street, attracting a wide variety of footwear being worn by visitors, alongside stalls showcasing the latest trends and rare one-off pairs including Nike, Newbalance and Saucony.
People were not only able to purchase the many rarities on show but trainer-swapping was also possible.
Amongst the 28 stalls and hundreds of pumps, there were many were local sellers alongside others who came from Newcastle, Manchester and London, alongside a live DJ. The stalls were also selling apparel and artwork, including posters and even pairs of display sports shoes made out of recycled cardboard.
Organiser Rob May, 28, who set up the event alongside friend Mike Smith, told JMU journalism: “Me and my mates have always been in to our trainees and Liverpool’s got a great history with them, dating back to the 70s and the 80s. I thought this city needs a festival like this.”
An aim of the event for Mr May – who customises his own kicks – was to push the sneaker culture in the UK, hoping for it to become as big as it is in America, bringing styles and individual pieces that people don’t see in shops, all under one roof.
The event saw over 700 attendees throughout the day and Rob said: “It’s taken us four months to organise and it’s had a great turnout. This is our first sneaker festival, but hopefully it’s one of many more to come.”